Players

6. I am Tired Of Existing

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How I hated Mondays!

It had nothing to do with my job – I loved my job and I had no complaints regarding it. But Mondays, and Saturdays, I hated because I get my holidays on Friday and Sunday and to have to get up in the morning and dress up and come to work when all I did the previous day was laze around? There was kind of an inertia. I just want to continue to do it one more day. And it was not like we always got work. The hospital ran pretty well and everyone who worked here were extremely diligent and hardworking. Dr. Susannah Reed, the director of this hospital, made sure that only the best ones were chosen for the job.

That’s why Red Cross Multi-Specialty Hospital was on the top of its game. But when things went wrong – oh ho ho – it went beyond control.

“I am tired of existing!” Jeremy exclaimed as he threw his arm over my shoulder.

“Good morning to you too, Jim Jam.” Jim Jam was the nickname Dr. Reed had given him as a child and he hated it with a passion. I, on the other hand, loved to use it from time to time to get on his nerves.

“Oh come on, please not in the morning!” He whined like the kid he was.

I winked at him. It was fun to mock him in the morning when his brain was not even one percentage of its normal functioning capacity – which was already too low to begin with. Because once he had his third cup of coffee and second croissant, the man became potent enough to start eating my brain and then the whole day I had to listen to his nonsense.

“So Maddie sent me a pic of a snake named Tobey.” He said. “Did you actually get your seven year old a snake?”

“It’s a corn snake – it is completely harmless.” I said, and then I chuckled out. “I am not the one who got her what she wanted. Of course, she tried to get me to but I didn’t budge but it was Sally who fell for Maddie’s usual antics and got it for her. But you should have seen Sally when they got back!” I let out a loud laugh, remembering the look on her face. “She was scared of the snake, and also of how I would react. I don’t think she will be visiting the apartment any time near in the future.”

We entered the hospital, Jeremy guffawing as we did, and we caught almost everyone’s attention at the reception.

“Lower your voice, you dumb*ss.” I whisper-yelled at him. But Jeremy Reed being Jeremy Reed, didn’t really care.

“I am pretty sure you must have chased poor Sally out of the house.” He said.

“No, I didn’t.” I scrunched up my face and then sighed. “I kind of liked the snake so I was busy gushing over it with Maddie while Sally and Nora were simply horrified.”

“Of course.” Jeremy shook his head as we entered the elevator, waving at one of the nurses he sleeps with from time to time. “I keep forgetting that Maddie is a miniature replica of you.”

“Nah, she is the miniature replica of Sydney.” I said. My sister and I did have a lot in common too so one would think that Madison took after me, but if Sydney was alive, everyone would have agreed that the little girl indeed took after her mother. But of course, she did pick up a few habits from me, which is only natural since she was raised by me. “And has almost zero resemblance to Liam, thankfully.” I rolled my eyes.

I was mad at Liam. Super mad. And I had to go see him today evening – had to make sure that he had something to keep him alive other than alcohol. I don’t think the day is too far when something happens to his liver, lungs and other organs. I am just hoping that the hospital will give me some kind of a discount when that happens because I am sure as hell that he does not have health insurance.

UGH! Sydney, why did you have to die? Your widower is as good as dead after you left.

“Whoa, there is a war between you and him again?” He asked. This stupid man loved to hear all about how I put my stupid brother… brother in law in place.

“Oh, I have a long story to tell.” I sighed, knowing how he is going to react when he hears about the other person involved.

The two of us entered the department and every eyes were on us, which was not normal because… well, we all knew one another and this was our workplace. Of course, they called us the grim reapers behind our backs but they never looked at us the way that they did today.

“What happened?” Jeremy muttered, but walking into the room, we understood exactly what had happened.

“F*ck.”

“LOL, they weren’t looking at us – they were looking at you.” Jeremy laughed, plucking the card out of one of the hundred bouquets in the room.

He raised a brow at me and then read, “’I enjoyed our date on Saturday. Can’t wait for the next one.’” He turned it around so that I can see it too.

I let out a sign.

“Umm.. am I missing something?”

“It is part of the long story I was going to tell you.”

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It has been a week and the number of bouquets kept increasing. I was giving them away now because the janitor asked me where he was supposed to dispose off all of them to. The men in the department and others gladly took them, because they could make their significant others happy with it, while the women took them home for themselves.

As I played with my pen, swinging back and forth in my chair, I got just what I needed to do – I was planning to play harmlessly but this man really was getting on my nerve.

I really did not know what he wanted from me. I had hired a private investigator as I said I would and I found out all that dude could get about that maniac. And he had never done anything like this before, apparently. The stupid PI had the audacity to say that the stupid donkey face could be in love with me.

Lol. He wanted me in his team, and so he was annoying me into give in to him. But I was not going to let that happen.

I received a text message and I knew who it was.

I opened the app and saw the cake that Sally had made.

“Perfect.” I said as I typed it.

He was going to send me bouquets huh? I was going to send him cakes and pastries and bullsh*t cards, and balloons and grand gestures that I knew would irritate the sh*t out of Mr. Dominic Grant.

“This is actually pretty funny to watch.” Jeremy walked in with a bouquet of roses, just to annoy me.

“Take that thing outside, you assh*le.” I glared at him, which made that piece of sh*t just laugh some more.

“I love how your face scrunch up in disgust every time you see one of them.” He snickered, completely ignoring what I had told him. He placed the flowers on his desk and then sat down on the chair opposite mine. “Maybe you should give Mr. lover boy a chance. I mean, you are a catch but given your temperament no one wants to be with you…” I gave him a flat look. Really? He was going to sit across from me and insult me? “… so when a man puts so much effort into you, that too a billionaire whose life is extremely hectic, you should actually appreciate it.”

“Do you want to die so bad, Jeremy Reed?” I narrowed my eyes at him. I would happily do the world a favor. All the men in my life were total maniacs and I just can’t deal with them anymore.

Jeremy didn’t say anything after that. He was lazily smiling at the ceiling. Weirdo.

The office phone rung just then.

“RDMSH legal team, Reed and Meyers’ office.” Jeremy said as soon as he picked up the phone.

“Uh huh.” He said after a pause and then looked up at me. “Liam’s downstairs.”

I rolled my eyes. There you go, another tragedy of my life was downstairs. Why did I have to deal with all of this sh*t?

“I will go see what he is up to.” I said and got up from my seat. Ugh, I am so tired.

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“Mom refuses to talk to me.” Liam said as I sipped on my coffee. We were at the café just across from the hospital. I loved this place. They served the best donuts in town, but the only customers they got were hospital staff and close ones of patients. A shame. If they worked on the appearance and did some promotion, then they could become one of the most popular ones in town but nope, the couple who ran this place were happy with what they had.

“Not like you can blame her for it.” I said and he gave me a flat look. Seriously, a flat look? Did this dude really thing that he was in a position to look annoyed at me? He should be thankful that I was sitting here and entertaining whatever bullsh*t he was about to spew when I could be wallowing away in my luxurious office room about what I am supposed to do with a d*ckhead named Dominic Grant.

“Cass, at least listen to what I have to say once.” He said, and he actually looked like he was going to tell me something that I would approve of. Please God, tell me that my perception is true and he really isn’t here to ask for money or any other help, like he usually does. I would be the happiest human in the world, if for a change, that really was the case.

“Alright alright.” I sat up straight and squared my shoulder, taking another sip of the divine coffee we get here. “Go ahead, what do you have to say, Liam?”

He rubbed the back of his neck and then cleared his throat before he looked at me in the eyes and said, “I am getting married.”

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